


Skip Beat! Diner

by ncisduckie



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Theatre, F/M, Gen, HS AU, One Shot, Teenage Drama, drama club au, i will not continue this, no, young adult
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 16:32:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14336550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ncisduckie/pseuds/ncisduckie
Summary: The local Drama Club just completed their latest production and all stumble, under the guidance of Senior Heartthrob Tsuruga Ren, into the local 24/7 diner. Oh, and up and coming Junior Sho Fuwa is following close behind. The waitresses that has to deal with this rowdy group of high schoolers? None other than Mogami Kyoko and Kotonami Kanae. Diner/HS Theatre Group AU. Please R&R! ONESHOT.





	Skip Beat! Diner

**Author's Note:**

> Originally Posted: 2/5/2016
> 
> So this is my contribution to butaneandthebeast on tumblr for their Skip Beat Secret Santa being a no-show. When AUs were brought into question--I mean, like, diner/ drama club AUs inspired by the three years I spent in high school monopolizing the local Denny’s after a show!
> 
> Also--it’s a taken way too long to write this so I wrote the whole Enchilada. This is THIRTEEN pages. Happy very Late Merry Christmas and please Enjoy

The night started normally. Well, as normally as a night can start in an all-day/all-night diner. We get our fair share of weird things that happen. This time--it was a hush that fell over the dining room. Moko-san nudges my hip and I turn my attention away from placing orders on the computer just in time to see the whole restaurant erupt into chaos.

Not the chaos that brings screaming and opening up of the ground beneath us, thank god. But a different kind of chaos. The one that can only be described if you’ve piled twenty some-odd high school drama club members into a twenty four hour diner at top volume.

Which is exactly what they did.

“Not it!” My ears perking up, I turn from the new crowd to see my coworkers all making their escape. Even Moko-san. Leaving only me to deal with the monstrous amount of people. “Traitors,” I mutter under my breath, punching in my last order before taking a deep breath and turning to the crowd.

I put on my brightest smile. _Stay strong , Kyoko_ . _Stay strong_. “Good evening! Welcome to--”

Before I have the chance to even finish my greeting, a the tallest one in the group glides to the front and offers a dazzling smile. It’s fake. “Table for twenty four, please,” he grins, as if we’re sharing an inside joke.

As if.

He probably doesn’t recognize me. I, on the other hand, sure as hell recognize him. Tsuruga Ren. Most popular upperclassmen at our high school. President of the Drama Club. President of his Class. Guy who had the audacity to go and brainwash the girls at our school to fall in love with him.  Not me. I’m smarter than that.

I shake my head and put on a mask of fake sympathy. “I’m sorry, but there’s going to be about a forty minute wait due to the size of your party.” I mean, serves him right? Where did he get the idea that we would drop everything and cater to “The Great Tsuruga Ren”? “Next time, please call ahead.” And with that, I turn away and begin my trek back to the kitchen. Surely one of my orders is up...

“Kyoko! You get back here!”

My body freezes and I slowly turn back. He actually came? Heart racing in my chest, my smile involuntarily returns as I come face to face with the only person I wanted to see come through the restaurant doors. “Sho-chan! You came!”

I know better than to run up and give him a hug, but it’s exactly what I’m holding back right now. He’s told me expressly not to express such exuberant emotion in front of his friends. Especially not his drama friends. No matter how long I’ve known him, even after my mother dropped me off at his home and never returned--the rule has always been there. But I don’t mind.

He smiles and runs a hand through his bleached blonde hair. “Of course. I told you we were _all_ coming tonight after the show.”

I bite my lip and turn my eyes down. He _did_ , but I thought it was a joke. The drama club usually holds their post-show parties at the more upscale restaurants--hosted by none other than Tsuruga’s uncle: the president of the school. Never in a million years did I expect them to come pouring into the diner tonight.

A warm hand at the small of my back as Sho leads me from behind the counter and away from the group. Vaguely, I can hear him proclaim he’s going to take care of it, but all I can focus on is the tingly feeling crawling up my stomach. _He’s touching me_.

“Kyoko--can you please handle this,” Sho asks, his eyebrows furrowing together and lips pulling down. I’ve disappointed him again. After all these years of living with his parents, I’ve seen my fair share of frustrated Sho--but usually the look is directed at his parents instead of me.

My heart sinks. “B-But...” I jut my chin out to the taller upperclassman behind with the group; he’s politely smiling at one of the many girls surrounding him. Gross. “It’s exactly what _he_ wants.” If I do this, Tsuruga wins. Drama Club president got a group of twenty four seated immediately. Even on a regular day, it takes about ten minutes to get a large party situated.

If Tsuruga wins, he only gains more fans at school. The one they should _obviously_ be fawning over is the boy in front of me.

But a grin spreads across Sho’s face. “No, you see. _I’m_ the one arranging things with you.” His voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper. “How cool will I look when I do something that _Tsuruga Ren_ can’t even do?”

The answer?

Very.

My smile returns full force and I think about it. Junior Sho Fuwa beating the almighty Senior Ren Tsuruga? And the opportunity is all in my hands. I could help Sho in his quest for popularity. Pretty soon it will be _Sho_ getting the lead roles in the plays, instead of Tsuruga, who has been dominating the drama club since he was a Freshman.

Sho nods and offers me one of his genuine smiles. Not one of his “cool” smiles that he learned from reading magazines at home. An actual smile that warms me to the core. “Now, here’s what you have to do...”

. . .

“Moko-sannn,” I call, my arms trembling beneath the heavy weight of the drink trays. She promised to help me--and yet...she’s seemed to disappear on me again. I know serving a table of kids from our school isn’t exactly what we signed up for when agreeing to work together--but the least she can do is pretend to help. “Moko--ahh!”

My feet stumble over themselves and I feel my legs give out beneath me. Not good. If I trip, the drinks will go everywhere and if the drinks go everywhere. And if I spill another tray of drinks, I’m sure I’ll be fired. So I close my eyes and brace myself for the cold splash of reality.

So much for moving out with Sho after high school so he could pursue being a stage actor. I guess I’ll just have to support him from the comfort of his family home.

But I never fall. In fact, the warmth of two hands, one at my shoulder and the other at the base of my spine, seemed to have kept me upright. Not a drop of the drinks spilled. A wide smile spreads across my cheeks. There’s only one person who would save me like that. “Thank you, Sho-chan!”

Careful not to drop the drinks he miraculously saved,  I look up to the face of...not Sho. My heart drops and my smile falters. “Ts-Tsuruga-san.” How could it be? It’s...not true. No. I. By now my whole smile has died and is replaced with gaping lips. 

I would have thought....my prince charming. Shouldn’t he have been the one to catch the damsel in distress. The fairy tales never tell of the sleazy wizard saving the princess. It’s always the prince. So where’s Sho?

The dazzling senior offers a small smile and raises his hands from my body and holds them in the air. “I’m not Fuwa-san, sorry to disappoint."

_First time that’s ever happened to you, huh, Tsuruga?_

“Actually no--a lot of people mistake us because of our similar heights,” he tilts his head, studying me. “He’s still several inches shorter than me though.”

_Can he read my mind?_ Panic flushes through my mind and my eyes go wide. God. I have I actually underestimated the prowess of  Tsuruga Ren? Shit. That must be how he always know how to please the girls at school.

His eyes continue, his eyebrows furrowing together. His soft smile remains. “I’m afraid you’ve been speaking out loud.”

No. No. Heat rushes to my cheeks and I have to turn to the empty tables beside me and set the heavy weight of the water tray down. Arms like noodles, legs quickly dissolving beneath me. How could I have been so stupid? Make myself appear weak in front of the enemy himself? And now--Now Tsuruga must think that Sho-chan fooled an idiot.

_Sho-chan, I have failed you_ , I think as my eyes flutter shut and my balance wavers. _Please forgive me._

Once again, the presence of warm hands keep me from falling and when I open my eyes, it’s still Tsuruga Ren who saved me. Sho is nowhere in sight. Blinking back tears, I force myself to smile at my senior as I pull away from his tall presence. “I apologize for making you save me so much. I--” What do I need to do? Kanae. She’ll help me get to my senses. Tsuruga Ren is not a good guy. He’s the enemy. “I-I need to find my friend.”

If he’s offended or anything it doesn’t show. Instead he nods slowly and points a finger behind me. “She’s over there. With Yashiro Yukihito, it seems like.”

Kanae? Self- Proclaimed woman who needs no man? It can’t be rig--The thought dies as I turn my body and see my brunette friend smiling and laughing with a bespectacled boy with light brown hair. Sure enough. There she is.

“Yashiro-san is our Stage Manager,” I hear a voice state behind me. Tsuruga Ren. He never left. Suddenly, I feel his presence, heavy, behind me. “They look really good together, if I do say so myself.”

I hate to agree. But he’s right. They look good. Like a couple. Just like...just like Sho and I should look. I clench my fists at my sides before stepping away from the tall upperclassman. “Whatever,” I huff, picking up the tray again, careful not to lose balance again. I stalk away.

I’m getting too close. Sho-chan will murder me if he sees me spending more time with Tsuruga. Accuse me of falling for his syrupy fake smiles and obviously fake demeanor. All I need to focus on right now is Sho and getting over with this shift. Then I can go home and pretend that I never spoke to Tsuruga Ren. And I can pretend that I’m ninety percent sure I saw some semblance of a real smile. Sighing, I begin distributing the water glasses and make it a point to avoid eye contact with anybody unless absolutely necessary.

The seat that Sho claimed earlier is still empty, his guitar slung over the back. I bite my lip and proceed on. It’s fine. I don’t have to worry about him. He’s perfectly fine without me looking over his shoulder.

“Kyoko-chan, should we start taking orders? Or???” Kanae’s voice wafts through my thoughts as she returns to her place beside me. I turn to look at her. Her brown eyes shine with happiness. God. I hate Tsuruga for being right.

Kanae and Yashiro-san look good together.

Once again, I take up the age-old practice of fake smiling and offer the most cheerful nod that I can muster. “Sounds like a plan!”

She doesn’t notice my fake smile like she normally does. Instead, her eyes are directed in the direction of Mr. Stage Manager. “Good, I’ll take this side of the table, you, the other.”

Wait! No--But I can’t refuse. That would make it so she couldn’t talk to the guy who has so obviously captured her attention. But if I take the assigned side of the table...my eyes glance over. Tsuruga sits at the head of the table, staring with intense concentration at the folded menu. The cast members around him laugh and joke.

Sho is still missing.

Though he would be on my side, along with a few other empty chairs of those who are wandering around the small dining room. I can do this. Get through this here and I can take a break. A well deserved fifteen minute break. Then I can find Sho and... I stop my thoughts from wandering too far off path and pull my small notebook out of my apron.

Taking orders isn’t so bad, after all. Just listen. Write. Move on. At least, that’s what it’s supposed to be. Sure enough, when I get to the seat of the Devil, he smiles up at me and closes the menu against the table. “What would you recommend?”

I blink.

Once.

Twice.

“It’s a diner,” I say slowly. “I don’t know. Look at the menu.” I mean, really? Most diners are the same. We offer the same food pretty much all over Tokyo. Perks of being a chain. So why is Tsuruga pulling this crap and trying to make it seem charming?

The great’s smile falters and he presses his lips together in a tight line. There’s something I can’t recognize in his eyes and for a moment I almost feel bad. _Almost_. Still his fault. A smile ten times more fake than before quickly replaces the almost grimace. “I’ll just have fries, thank you.”

I nod and scribble the order on the page before moving on to the next person. Strange. Who orders just a plate of fries for dinner? Certainly that’s not the best way to treat your stomach....I bite my lip and look up from my notebook. Into the eyes of a confused patron whose order I obviously just missed.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

. . .

Orders in, drinks refilled. Contact with Tsuruga Ren thankfully avoided (it helped he left my side of the table to converse with his stage manager). But scanning over the table, there’s a pull in my gut because there’s still something so obviously wrong with the picture in front of me: Sho is still missing.

I mean. Where could he have gone? At first I could have guessed the bathroom but it’s been at least twenty minutes and there’s no way on this planet that we’re crowded enough for such a long wait. Even with the increased number from the Drama Club students-- there’s no way.

“I’ll cover you. Take your half hour--this party will still be here when you get back.”

Kanae steps in beside me and I must have looked pretty upset because she offers me a smile that doesn’t hold any of the sass that it normally does. “Large parties like this always take ages, so you’re not missing out on any of the fun.” Her smile curdles into something more wicked. “Promise.”

I laugh in spite of myself and nod. Large parties are pretty much the only reason to hate working in a restaurant. Luckily none of them ordered any of our cheap alcohol or I’m sure they would be worse than it already is. I can’t even imagine a drunk Tsuruga Ren.

“Thank you, Mokooo,” I whine, pulling my friend into my arms and squeezing her tight.

Mo!” She pulls herself from my embraces and narrows her eyes. “Now go on! I might change my mind!” And with that, Kanae smiles and turns back to the group of twenty five that have made our diner their home for the evening.

_I don’t deserve such a great friend._ We met applying for the diner, knowing of each other because of attending the same school, but not actually know each other. Since then we have become “comrades” as she calls us, unified by fate to take down the diner circuit and maybe one day rule the world. That said--she doesn’t quite agree with my endeavors with Sho. But we can’t agree on everything, can we?

And speaking of Sho...I pull my my apron down and tap carefully at my chin. If I were a budding actor and rockstar at a family diner, where would I be?

The bathroom is out.

Obviously...I take a quick scan of the dining room. Nope. I didn’t somehow miss his mess of blond hair.

Kitchen is an obvious no.

It leaves two options: the front and back entrances. I think...I would have been informed if a patron ended up in the back. So I make my way to the front. _Sho_ , I plead in my head _, please don’t have just ditched me here to clean up the mess with your friends_.

Wouldn’t be the first time that Sho dumped his friends on me. Usually it ends up with them getting way too friendly with me. Most times Moko has to come save me from the grubby hands of the other boys in our classes--sometimes even older boys. Now, I’m sure I’m safe from any unnecessary advances but knowing I have to deal with Tsuru....

The thought dies in my head and a sob chokes up in my throat.

No.

No.

_No._

It would have been better to be left here. Alone. Dealing with the overly flirty Tsuruga Ren. With his friends. Hell--I wouldn’t mind if someone had the bright idea to invite the whole goddamn school to sit in my section.

Sho, pressing his body against one of the girls who piled into the diner. His lips ravage hers, running his fingers through her long, curled hair as she mimics the action with his much shorter hair. I stand there, gaping, watching and listening to the underlying moans.

I can’t watch it.

But I can’t stop it either.

Instead, I choke on my tears as silently as I can and storm back into the diner. Past the loud chatter of the Drama Club student. Past the questioning gaze of Kanae-san. Past the clammer of the kitchen, slowed down by the sudden onslaught of noisy, hungry students. And straight out the back door where my only company is the stink of the week’s garbage and the lingering smell of urine from the many drunks that use our alley like some free rest stop.

“Bastard,” I whisper through my teeth. My foot swings and makes contact with one of the empty food delivery boxes. It flies across the alley and thumps loudly as it makes its descent back to the ground. “ _Bastard._ ”

This time I can’t even bring myself to kick something. Not to hit something. Instead, I simply feel numb. And cold.

My legs give out underneath me and I allow myself to crumble to the ground, not caring as the dirt and grime smear themselves into the material of my uniform. Not caring as I muss my hair against the rough, unfinished brick of the restaurant. Not caring as I finally allow my tears to fall from my eyes in ugly streams down my face and snot begins to accumulate underneath my nose. I can hardly breathe. But on top of it all, I can’t feel.

Sho. He’s done it before. Fooled around with other girls. I’ve never seen it for myself, though. I could pretend, that way, that what he was doing behind my back never actually happened. Because I never really saw it and he would always come back to me.

This? This is real. And he might come back to me in the end, both of us returning back to the same house that we planned on leaving together after graduation. He’ll never stop.

He’ll _never_ stop. I choke on the sobs raking up my throat and wipe at the tears with the back of my head.

I don’t think I can pretend that it doesn’t happen any more.

I can’t stand the thought.

Instead, I decide to resign to the thought I will never be loved. Not if the only boy I ever loved decided to toss me aside. How can I be redeemed from such a failure? I’ve tried my hardest to please him! And this is how I’m repaid?

I laugh bitterly at the thought. So much for wanting to be a good housewife. Kanae was right. Sho ended up hurting me. Now I’m fated to a miserable existence where I can never find salvation. The only thing I’ll find in life is betrayal and cold numbness lingering over my body.

And that’s when a warmth drapes over me and the feeling of soft fabric rustles against my fingers. _This jacket is familiar._ I look up, squeezing the fabric in my hands, unable to believe it. I was right about the jacket’s owner.

Tsuruga Ren.

“What are you doing here?” I bite, blinking rapidly to assure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. Yet sure enough as my tears disperse into final rivets down my cheeks I can positively say that the “great” Tsuruga Ren is here. In a stinky alley. And he just gave me his jacket.

Deep inside, I’m trying to figure out what the joke here is supposed to be. Whatever it is, I’m not understanding it.

I hoped that my question was bitter enough to make him go away. Go back to catering to the half dozen girls that surrounded his seat at the head of the table. I also hoped he would stay. Anything is better than being alone at this point.

Luckily, he ignores the harsh tone of my voice and plops down beside me, dwarfing me in size. Never before have I ever felt so small. I can’t help but notice that his nice clothes are suffering the same fate at my uniform: dirt and grime smearing into the crevices of the threads. I want to object to his close proximity to me and the mess he’s making of himself--except I can’t find it in myself to question it. I’m just too tired.

“Your friend got caught up with a spilled drink. And you’ve been gone for a while.” He states, not looking at me. “I was worried.

I hold back a snort; I can’t help it. “I’m sure you have worse things to worry about,” I snip, looking up at his remarkably stoic face. It’s impossible to read what he’s thinking. Annoying.

Finally, a semblance of emotion. The corners of his lips turn up ever so slightly and he turns to me. His eyes are filled with something that I can’t quite place. “What? Fuwa’s tongue down my girlfriend’s throat?” A forced chuckle. “I’m over it already.”

Is he? That’s a new low, even for Sho, I think. The rumors never said anything about him breaking apart relationships. But I guess it makes sense. Anything Tsuruga Ren has, Sho wants. A lot. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, pulling my eyes from the upperclassman. If only I hadn’t let Sho pull my swings and they were forced to leave. Then....

“Don’t apologize. He’s not your responsibility.”

Hmm? My body flinches because that’s exactly it. I’ve been playing a role almost like his mother.. Making sure he focuses in school so he can graduate. Coming up with the plan for him to take over the entertainment world. I’ve thought of Sho as nothing _but_  my responsibility.

Beside me, Tsuruga-san lets out another fake laugh and I hear the pain coming from it. “Besides, she would have left me by next week.”

“But you’re Tsuruga Ren! Heartthrob of our campus! Girls swoon over the thought of your _name_!” I burst out, without thinking. I do a lot of that, I realize. Emotion getting the best of me. I guess that’s why I’m sitting in this stinky alley to begin with.

This time when he laughs, it’s filled with the most wonderful music and when he turns to look at me with such a genuine look that my heart kind of stops. A look like that...should be illegal. “There a lot of reasons, actually.”

My eyebrows furrow together. Such a wonderful, evasive lie. He probably would have broken up with her first, the womanizer. Will his girlfriend would have found out like me and cried herself to sleep?  Maybe.

“I’m a terrible boyfriend, actually. That’s one reason.”

I stare hard at his smiling face and jut my lip out. “You’re lying.”

But he just shakes his head and he waves his hands, leaving farther against the dirty brick wall. “No,No! I’m telling the truth!” His body relaxes and his eyes flutter shut and for a moment he looks the perfect picture of serene. “I’m not all that good with people.

_You’re doing fine here with me,_ I want to argue. Is this some sort of tactic? To make me one of his drooling lackeys? Well--he’s got to have picked the worst girl to play this crap with. I won’t budge and fall to putty.

Not anymore.

We sit in silence for a moment. He sits with the same calm look resting across his (unfairly) beautiful face. I turn away and stare ahead at the wall in front of me, noting its uneven texture and what I can only assume to be rotten fruit smashed against its entire existence.

“So what’s your story?”

“My story?” I repeat, dreading the following line of questioning. Silence was far much more favorable. Even if it is with this guy.

I feel his eyes as they focus on me and I try not to notice. I try _so hard_ to pretend he’s not staring me down. It’s obvious he doesn't buy it. I don’t blame him, really. “Why are you out here?” He speaks slowly, calculating. How much and I going to trust him right now? “In the cold? Crying? Surely it’s not a normal thing for you?”

Normal. Ahh. Probably more normal than it should be, considering the sheer amounts of conquests of Sho’s that I’ve broken down about in the solidarity of my bedroom. “It’s...It’s nothing,” I choke, trying to make myself believe it.

Doesn’t work.

And somehow, he knows. Well, it’s probably obvious. But I would like to pretend I’m not that much of an open book. “Is nothing the nickname you gave Fuwa Sho?”

My cheeks flush in spite of myself and I look down to study my work shoes. Scuffed. I’ll probably need new ones soon. I try to make the calculations out of my budget and how much I’ll need to cut back for the new pair. But my heart nor my thoughts are sold on the distraction.

I can imagine Tsuruga’s smile despite my focus being on my shoes. “I was right,” he congratulates himself. As if it wasn’t blazingly obvious before.

Scowling, I twist my lips together. “And what if you are?” I prod. “What’s it to you?”

The Fuwas would be disappointed in me. They taught me to be polite to everyone. Even if I _do_ harbor a dislike for someone. My behavior right now with Tsuruga-san is hardly tolerable. Whatever it takes though. I need to diverge the conversation. Talk about himself for all I care. How many girls he’s been with. I don’t care.

I just don’t want him to make fun of me for Sho’s betrayal.

“He doesn’t deserve you if he makes you cry like this.”

I whip my head up, flinching only when I whack my head against the hard brick of the building. When my vision clears of the dozens of black dots that swarmed by sight upon impacts, heat rushes to my cheeks. Tsuruga Ren. Inches from my face.

He stares at me with concern pouring out of his eyes and deep in the gut of my stomach, I can feel my resolve dissolving. Why did I hate him again? Sho always said he was bad news. But right here, right now. I don’t see how anybody can see him as evil like I did only half an hour ago. His fingers brush gently through my messy hair and feeling for my scalp.

It’s silent for a moments at his fingertips press against the soft skin of my head. And just as quickly as he was there--his leans away to a safer distance from me and disentangles his hand away from my hair. “Your head seems okay,” he smiles softly. Relieved. That’s what I can feel from him.

We sit there for a second more in a comfortable silence before he turns his head to the back door of the diner. Standing up with what can only be described as utter _grace_ , he offers a hand to me. “Come on, as much as I enjoy your company, I’m not sure your boss will appreciate you overstaying your break.”

My break? It dawns on me. Crap. Crap. How long has it been since---how long has it been since Moko told me she would cover me? Has it been thirty minutes yet? I must look pretty worried because as I allow Tsuruga-san to pull my weight up to a standing position, he motions to his watch. “You still have time. Not much, though.”

“Thank you,” I whisper.

“I may be clueless about love, but I do know it’s wrong to make a girl cry.” He smiles at me and releases my hands. Immediately, I miss their warmth. “I didn’t get your name?”

Name. My. Name. “Mogami.” That is, after all, the name I give my classmates. My mother may have abandoned me--but it doesn’t mean that I’m close enough to anybody to let them use my full name. Tsuruga’s eyes prod for more and I comply. He’s earned it. “Mogami, Kyoko,” I say louder this time, I bow slightly, balancing his jacket on my shoulders.

Right... I should return that. I start to shrug out of the large material but he waves a hand. “No, no. You need it more than I do. Keep it.”

It’s not worth it to object. Instead, I nod, tightening the soft material around my body. “I’ll give it to you at school, then.” Surely, that’s what he means--seeing as my uniform is currently worse for wear and it would be embarrassing as hell to walk back into the diner.

“Keep it.”

I-I don’t know how to react. I also don’t have the time to. Because he turns and opens the back door to the diner. “I’ll see you at school, Kyoko-chan.”

Then he’s gone. Tsuruga Ren, He’s gone. If he knows his clothes are dirty and gross, he didn’t seem to care as he sauntered back into the diner. I move to the doorway and watch as he makes his way back to the Drama Club kids and sits back down as if nothing ever happened.

And that’s sort of what I feel now. I don’t feel the crippling sense of despair hanging over me and I don’t feel like the end of the world. Sho’s actions were just a climax of that section of my life. Now I’m ready to start a new chapter of my life. One where I don’t need to hate Tsuruga Ren. And one where Moko-san and I can pursue our chances at ruling the world.

The long table of Drama Club kids are winding down, eating the last of their dinner and slurping the last of their drinks. Sho’s back, his arm slung around the girl from earlier. Tsuruga-san’s girlfriend. He sits, Waiting for a response from the upperclassman. He won’t get it, I realize. Tsuruga-san is better than that.

“There you are!”

Kanae rushes toward me from the kitchen, worry etched on her face. She stops short, assessing my dirty clothes and Tsuruga’s large jacket draped over my frame. “Is that...” Her eyes shoot over to the upperclassman who has resumed chatting and laughing with his friends. The upperclassman just as grimy and gross as I am right now. My friend turns back to me, her eyebrow arched high.

I nod and smile shortly. “I’ll explain after work, okay?” But I don’t let her agree with me, instead I pull at her wrist. “Moko-san,” I say, my voice letting out a little whine. “Can I borrow your extra uniformmm?”

She blinks. But there’s no hesitation as she rolls her eyes and begins to drag me toward the breakroom. “You owe me, Kyoko-chan,” she huffs, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“One more thing, then, Moko.” I take a deep breath. It’s time to move on. Away from Sho. Kanae looks at me curiously, pausing in our dash to clean clothes. I pull on a dazzling smile and get on with it. “Can I stay with you and your family for a while?”

This is what I love about Kotonami Kanae--the girl I’ve dubbed “Moko” for her tendency to be frustrated with me: She just gets me. Once upon a time ago she predicted that Sho would betray me. One look at the dining room will tell you that she way right.

A smile crosses her face and she begins once again toward the break room.

“Do you even need to ask?”

**Author's Note:**

> Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave a Review! 
> 
> Unless you're asking for more. And then I'll just squirt you with the spray bottle of shame.


End file.
